How hot is Rome in the summer?

[This article has been written in September 2023] Summer 2023 is almost at its end and I decided to recollect some thoughts about the “heat waves”: last July I received some calls and mails from the other side of the ocean (friends, former or future guests, journalists) asking

how was I coping with the heat? Was I ok?

I was quite surprised. Surely the weather is changing and I cannot really compare the summers of my childhood with today’s, my life and perceptions are too different. But since I started working as a tour guide, 15 years ago, I know we always had to cope with one or two heat waves during the summer. The problem is, you never know when exactly it happens and you make plans and bookings before knowing the weather you’ll have to face.

As you can see from 2023 temperatures, June can be as warm as August, but 2022 summer reached its acme in July. In other years, May was already very hot and June was the hottest time of the year. Or even September…. What I want to say is that you really cannot know in advance when you have to face the heat wave. Better to be prepared, instead.

So, just some ideas and thoughts:

1. You know yourself better than anybody else, you know if you cope well with the heat or not. I, myself, have been to hot countries like Morocco, Israel, Mexico, Greece, Turkey always in August, I know I can bear warm temperatures and this is not a reason for me to change holiday plans. But if you know you suffer the heat a lot, of course it is better to avoid summer months for visiting Italy. If you can….
2. Because the problem is that often you do not choose your time of travel, but your family and job are choosing for you: teachers and families with kids above all have little choice. So what? You just skip all the countries which are potentially warm during the summer months?
3. My answer is “no”. You simply plan wisely. With the help of local experts (like your tour guides)  you can try to start your visits early (I know it’s hard to wake up early while on holiday, especially with kids or teens, but – believe me – it makes all the difference on some days!), move some tours in the late afternoon/evening and reserve the central hours of the day for activities which are pleasant anyway…like what?
4. We offer several tours which are pleasant even in a hot summer day: Vespa tours (the driver takes care of the Vespa and you enjoy the breeze), e-bike effortless tours, underground Rome tours (always a great idea to avoid the heat), non crowded museums with air conditioning (Palazzo Altemps, Palazzo Massimo, Galleria Doria Pamphili….), a rafting experience along the river Tiber or a kayak experience on lake Albano…
5. And do not forget Rome is next to the seaside and to several lakes, as well illustrated in my book collecting 103 Other Adventures in and around Rome! And there’s nothing wrong in spending an half day or even a full day at the beach during your holidays, even if you are in historical artistic cities like Rome!